17/10/2025
โ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐นโ: ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ
The death of Kenyaโs former Prime Minister and prodemocracy leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday, October 15, has prompted mourning across the Kenyan diaspora in the US โ including Minnesota where he had strong ties. He died in Kerala, India where he was undergoing treatment.
A statement from the hospital said he collapsed and died as he went for his morning walk, and gave the cause of death as cardiac arrest. He was 80.
In Kenya, he is referred to as โBaba,โ which means father in Kiswahili, the countryโs lingua franca. He will be best remembered for leading the protests that ended one-party rule in Kenya, culminating in the first multiparty election being held in 1992. The protests he led came after spending six years in detention without a trial under the draconian regime of President Daniel Arap Moi.
The late Odinga made numerous visits to Minnesota โ both as a leader of the opposition leader and after he became prime minister. He was prime minister from 2008 to 2013. His last visit to Minnesota was on October 2013.
Ms. Roselidah Nyaberi, who is president of Mwanyagetinge Association of Kenyans in Minnesota โ the largest organized group of Kenyans in the state, had just migrated to the United States the last time Mr. Odinga visited Minnesota. However, she is aware of the love many Minnesota Kenyans have Baba and it was upon her to express the collective grief the community felt. In a written statement to Mshale, Nyaberi sent condolences to the Odinga family, praising his commitment to peace and national unity, adding that โas a community we are standing with you during this sorrowful moment.โ
โAs Kenyans in the diaspora, we will miss him for his visionary leadership, courage and resilience in the face of adversity and unwavering dedication to human rights,โ Nyaberi said in her statement. โLet us honor his legacy by following his example and respect others regardless of their opinion.โ
Dr. John Makori who chaired the Minnesota chapter of Azimio la Umoja, the coalition that Mr. Odinga ran for the presidency under in the 2022 presidential election, told Mshale the late prime minister emphasized integrity in the few encounters he had with him, always insisting that one should โbe satisfied with the little that God has bestowed upon you, so as not to compromise your integrity.โ
Minneapolis-based Kenyan American entrepreneur Dr. Siyad Abdullahi praised Odinga as a โstatesman and fighter that gave it his all.โ
โI first met Raila through a mutual friend in 2006 when he was campaigning for President and I readily agreed to be his main organizer in the US,โ Abdullahi said. โAfter that he became a friend beyond politics, and even after campaigns were over would take time to personally respond to my messages. He really cared about the marginalized communities, women, minorities and people with disabilities and those living in poverty.โ
Abdullahi described him as a man that cared deeply about personal relationships that went beyond politics, recalling a surprise call he received from Mr. Odinga in 2024.
โLast year, Raila was giving a talk at Oxford University (London) and found out my daughter Yasmin is doing her masters there. He made time to meet with her and called me right after with very gracious words about how smart and well prepared she was,โ Abdullahi said.
In his many visits to the United States, the person responsible for coordinating them was Mr. Robert Nyagudi โ before his move to Canada. Nyagudi, who is the director in charge of supply chain for a Canadian firm, was still in shock and unable to express his feelings when Mshale reached him via WhatsApp Thursday morning at his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Mr. Nyagudi said when he first heard reports early Wednesday morning about Babaโs death, he searched frantically on the internet for confirmation but was unsuccessful, and recalls feeling suddenly afraid to hear the truth. He made frantic phone calls to Babaโs family including wife Ida but to no avail. Finally, after 25 minutes of what felt like a day, he was able to get through to Babaโs sister Ruth Odinga who told him, โYes your friend has left usโ
โThe passing of Jakom is painful and a really dark cloud hangs over my heart and although he was old enough to be my father, he was simply a friend,โ Nyagudi said. โIn my many interactions with him we talked about personal, family and business matters and conversations about politics were almost secondary and this humanized him for me.โ
โI will deeply miss his wisdom, humility, and compassion,โ he continued. Nyagudi said one legendary attribute of the late Odinga was his ability to connect with people from all walks of life, which he called a โrare gift.โ Adding that even though Odinga had a good sense of humor, he eschewed laziness but had a forgiving spirit.
A state funeral for Mr. Odinga is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, October 17 in Nairobi and he will be buried on Sunday, October 19. His wish was to be buried within 72 hours of his death.
Celebration of Life in Minnesota on Oct. 18
A prior scheduled political event that was to feature Kenyan politician and former presidential aspirant and Roots Party leader, George Wajackoyah, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on Oct.18, 2025 will instead be a celebration of the life of Raila Odinga. Mr. Wajackoyah, a political ally of Odinga, was already in the U.S. for the event but is in the process of flying back to Kenya for the funeral.
